Steam-heating apparatus



W. E. HALL.

Patented June 30, 1891.

\V A -..,V-

STEAM HEATING APPARATUS.

)7n-5 ses S g 1 THE MORRIS PRTERB C0., PHOTOLITHD., WASHINGTON, D. 6-

(No Model.)

Y vUNITED STATES PATENT @nmol-3*.

VILLIS E. I-IALL, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM-HEATING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 45 l1,9641, dated J une 30, 1891.

Application iled May 9, 1890. Serial No. 351,205. (No model.)

T0 aZZ whom, it 71mg/ concern.-

' Be it known that I, WILLIS E. HALL, of Altoona, county ot Blair, State ofPennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Steam-Heating Apparatus, of which'the following is a true and accurate description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification. Y v

My invention relates to steam-heating apparatus in which provision is made for the return of the steam or condensed steam through a flue or pipe provided for that purpose, and to which some mechanism is attached for sucking or drawing the exhausted steam away, Cars, for instance, equipped in this Way are generally heated by steam drawn from the boiler of the locomotive, and apump or similar device is connected with the eX- haust-pipe to draw off the steam atter it has heated the cars and return it as low-pressure steam or water to the water-tank of the engine. As heretofore constructed, systems of this kind have had the radiating system in the car connected with the exhaust-pipe and a valve placed in the connection, which valve was adjusted to permit the steam and condensed water to escape into the return-pipe at a regulated rate, and much difticulty has been found in the proper adjustment and manipulation ot' these valves, the rate of condensation of the steamvarying, of course, with the temperature of the day, and also with other conditions, and each change of condition requiring` a delicate adjustment of the valve, which itis impracticable to make in service with a required nicety. The greatest trouble found to exist has been that attimes the steam from the radiating system would escape at an undue pressure into the return-pipe, and expanding in said pipe it would cause a back-pressure in the radiating system and steam-supply pipes which seriously interiered with the efficiency of the purpose. This trouble is due to the fact that many radiating systems discharge into one return-pipe. Thus in railway use many cars are coupled together, so that their return fines or pipes are continuous. Consequently an escape of steam from several of the cars into the return-fluemight and did practically choke it and prevent the continuous operation ot the system.

My invention consists, essentially, in combining with the return-flue steam-heating system a-steam trap or traps situated in the paspendent of the other or others in the chamj bers, cars, or train it becomes for all practical purposes impossible that the return-Hue should be choked by the escape of steam into it in too great quantity.

Reference is now had to the drawings which illustrate my invention, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway-car equipped with a return-Hue steam-heating system and provided with my improvement,

and Fio. 2 is ak cross-section through the car on- Y the line X X of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional View of a thermostatic steam-trap valve;- Fig. 4, a sectional elevation of a three-way cock used in my apparatus; and Fig. 5, a sectional view on line y Q/ of Fig. 4:.

P indicates the car.

A is the steam-supply pipe running beneath the car, and from which rises a pipesect-ion B, which in turn connects with the pipes C and C', leading into and to the sides of the car, where they connect, respectively, with the steam-pipes D and D', situated on each side of the car. As shown, these pipes D and D connect at each end of the car with a radiator-coil E E E E', and these coils connect by pipes F F F F with the radiator convents G and G', from which, as shown, arms ,g and g project under each seat. The convents G and .G slope from the ends ofthe car toward a point at or near its center, from which point pipes II II lead to the return flue or pipe J, situated, as shown, beneath the floor of the car. In each of these pipes leading from the radiator system to the return-flue I place thermostatic steam-traps, indicated at I and I.-such, for instance, as is shown in Fig. 3. Any of the well-known thermostatic valves in use Yfor this purpose can be used in my new combination. That shown in my patent, No. 432,269, of July l5, V1890, is well adapted for the purpose.

L and L' are by-pass pipes leading around the steam-trap, and by which connection can be made from the radiating system to the return-pipe irrespective of the steam trap. Valves N and N' are provided to close or open these by-passes.

'Ihree-way cocks of ordinary construction may advantageously be provided in the steampipe A where the pipe B leads off from it, the location of such a cock, if used, being indicated at M. They may also be used at the points indicated by O and O', Where the connectingpipes L and L' unite with the return-pipe J. In Figs. 4 and 5 I have illustrated such a cock, marking it M O.

K K indicate couplers, by which the steam and return pipes of the car are united to the steam and return pipes ot the tender, or of another car in making up atrain.y

The `operation of the system indicated in the drawings is as follows: Steam from the engine passes through the pipe A and a certain quantity is ldrawn from it through pipe B and pipes'C and C' to the internal steam-pipes D and D', through which it iiows through the radiator-coils E E' and through the radiatorconvents D and D', filling said couvents, and also the arms g g, extending from it. The water of condensation iiows toward the lowest points in the convents G and G' and into the pipesH and H', leading from such lower points of the couvents G and G', and through these pipes or connections the water or water and steam escape into the return-.pipe .I The steam-traps I and I', when surrounded by steam, close the passages I-I and H and prevent the steam fromescaping into the returnpipe. When thus acting they in effect cut the car or portion'of the car out of the return system, so that no steam escapes from that portion of the system, which they regulate until a sufficient condensation has occurred to flood the steam-trap and cause it to move and open the convent in which it is situated. The Water then iiows through the passage into the return-pipe, and after the water has passed out the steam continues to issue through the trap into the return-pipe until its heat again causes the trap to close. The circulation thus eifected is amply sufficient and the plan, as already noted, is more economical of steam and better adapted forthe return systemthan those constructions in which the passage from the radiator system to the return-pipe is regulated by an adjustable, but not self-adj usting, valve. It is important that the valve should at intervals permit the escape of steam to the return-pipeas well as Water, the essence of the system being that the steam should be sucked into radiators, rather than forced into them rby boiler-pressure. Hence an ordinary float-valve will not take the place of a thermostatic valve, and my invention is confined to the use of a thermostatic valve in the combination described.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

In a steam-heatin g system, the combination, with a steam-pipe leading from the boiler, a radiating system connecting with the steampipe, and a return-pipe connecting with the lower part of the radiating system, of a thermostatic steam-trap situated in the connection between the radiating system and the return-pipe, all substantially as and for the purpose specified.

WILLIS E. HALL.

Vitnesses:

LisLE SroKEs, H. F. GRAYBILL. 

